The Bronx Ink

Tim Hetherington, photojournalist, was killed while reporting in Libya last April. He dreamed of opening a film and photography gallery space in the Bronx. Soon, reports The Daily News, his dream will be realized. Fellow photojournalist Mike Kamber plans to open the doors to the gallery in tribute to his heroic friend.

Residential confidential informant, 20 year old Antony Velez, was doing is job when he tipped off two cops to the location of guns and drugs inside a Brooklyn apartment. The agreement was that he would be protected in return. But on that day in 2004, Velez was shot just two hours after giving police the tip. Velez’s mother Bronx woman Towanda Velez, according to The Daily News, has decided to sue the two police officers in a civil case, for what she sees as negligent conduct.

Bronx mom takes cops to civil court for failure to protect her son

Residential confidential informant, 20 year old Antony Velez, was doing is job when he tipped off two cops to the location of guns and drugs inside a Brooklyn apartment. The agreement was that he would be protected in return. But on that day in 2004, Velez was shot just two hours after giving police the tip. Velez’s mother Bronx woman Towanda Velez, according to The Daily News, has decided to sue the two police officers in a civil case, for what she sees as negligent conduct.

New gallery to open in the Bronx in memory of slain journalist

Tim Hetherington, photojournalist, was killed while reporting in Libya last April. He dreamed of opening a film and photography gallery space in the Bronx. Soon, reports The Daily News, his dream will be realized. Fellow photojournalist Mike Kamber plans to open the doors to the gallery in tribute to his heroic friend.

Judge Lee Holzman gives advantages to his chief campaign fundraiser

The Daily News reports that Surrogate Judge Holzman allowed his lawyer friend, Michael Lippman, charge fees for work he didn’t do on the estates of deceased Bronx residents. The State Commission on Judicial Conduct recommends disciplinary action against Holzman.

Nonfe Garcia gives members of Ladder 17, Engine 60 crosses to thank them on the tenth anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks. Photo: Celia Llopis-Jepsen, Bronx Ink.

Bronx residents attending nine September 11 memorial services across the borough on Sunday said they were unfazed by the “credible, but unconfirmed” Department of  Homeland Security reports that al-Qaeda members were planning to use car or truck bombs against targets in New York City and the nation’s capital.

“I’m  not scared at all,”  said Paul Reverson, 18, who was attending a service at the Bronx Museum of Art on the Grand Concourse. Since terrorists haven’t struck New York since 2001, “they won’t do it today.”

Philipe Gaston, 22, whose cousin escaped from the Twin Towers ten years ago, said he felt secure because the city had ramped up its security operations over the years. “There have been so many changes as far as security is concerned,” said Gaston, who works at the information point of museum. “The security in New York just skyrocketed.”

On Friday, Mayor Michael Bloomberg informed city residents of the possible threat and urged everyone to be vigilant. “Over the next few days,” Bloomberg said, “we should all keep our eyes wide open.”

In response, Gov. Andrew Cuomo added what he called “a significant increase” in state police officers to the city.  The effect was felt in Manhattan, as security checkpoints set up by the New York Police Department brought traffic around midtown to a virtual standstill.

No roads were closed in the Bronx, however.

Amidst the extra security, Suzanne Russell and her husband gathered in Melrose at Engine Company 71, Ladder 55 to honor the nearly 3,000 victims, including 143 Bronxites,  who died ten years ago in the World Trade Center attacks. When asked about the possible threat, Russell said that no matter what happened she’d be fine as long her firefighter husband was at her side.

“Terror alerts won’t bother me this morning,” Russell said. “This time I have my husband with me. Waiting for the phone call would’ve been the worst part. But for now, we’re all together.”

Julio Gonzalez, a pastor at Tercera Iglesia Bautista Espanola in Mott Haven, gave a more spiritual response.

“We all carry the fear of another attack like 9/11,” said Rev. Gonzalez.  “But we have faith in God.”

Additional reporting by Celia Llopis-Jepsen, Diane Jeantet, and Janet Upadhye contributed to this report. 

Ten years ago, nearly 3,000 people died in the attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon along with the crash of Flight 93 in Shanksville, Pa.

The lives of many New Yorkers were never the same after Sept. 11, 2001.

In the Bronx, at least 143 residents were reported killed. The loss extends beyond immediate family members and friends of the victims. The Bronx Ink interviewed residents who were also deeply affected by the attacks. One Bronx firefighter shares his experience at Ground Zero. A police officer describes the horror at the scene. Still another, a Palestinian refugee from Jordan, talks about his change of heart after being rebuked by his mother.

Hear these voices from the Bronx as they share their memories.

The view from JordanMusab Abusbeih emigrated from Jordan to the Bronx three years ago. He owns a Halal Food truck in Hunts Point. He was a 15-year-old boy in the Middle East when he heard about the attacks on the World Trade Center. On that day his mother taught him a valuable lesson about people and politics that he couldn’t fully understand until years later.Musab Abusbeih by Janet Upadhye (Photo by Ted Regencia)

Man of steelLou Reda is a retired ironworker who participated in clean up efforts for six months during the aftermath of September 11. The New York Fire Department recognized Reda in a letter which states that they are eternally grateful for the support of the ironworkers who “perhaps should be renamed the men of steel”.Lou Reda by Janet Upadhye (Photo by Ted Regencia)

Joseph Daly, 75, is a retired fireman. He was born and raised in the South Bronx district of Hunts Point. Daly said the 9/11 commemoration brought back memories of his own life and death experience fighting thousands of fires in the Bronx during the 60s and 70s. As New York City and the rest of the world marks the 10th anniversary of the tragedy, Daly pays tribute to the 343 colleagues who died in the terrorist attacks. Retired New York fireman remembers 9/11 by Ted Regencia

Memories of Ground ZeroWilliam Henderson retired from the FDNY one year after September 11th, 2001. He was one of the countless firemen who helped recover Ground Zero from the rubble following the attacks. William still suffers from sinusitis and has developed bronchitis. But in comparison to most he knows, William says, his situation isn’t that bad at all. Even to this day, perfect weather reminds him of that Tuesday morning 10 years ago.William Henderson by Lindsay Minerva and Kiran Alvi

“Plane hit building! Plane hit building!”Trish Heckman was a detective for the NYPD and was waiting for a friend at a restaurant near Chinatown when the planes hit. A man ran in saying, “Plane hit building! Plane hit building!” she said. Trish’s husband was a firefighter and the two helped clean up the damage of 9/11. They saw each other two days after it all happened. Trish survived, but years after 9/11, her husband could not. Even to this day, the memories bring her to tears.Trish Heckman by Kiran Alvi and Lindsay Minerva

The New York State Department of Education put the Kingsbridge Innovative Design Charter School, which opened seven months ago, in probation and threatened to close it because of fiscal mismanagement.
The school’s founder and executive director, Julio Cotto, denied the accusations and said he has been working with the state to solve the challenges they have faced as a new school.
According to the State, the school will be in probation until May 17 and will have to complete “a 16-point remedial action plan.” (The Wall Street Journal)

A Bronx Zoo staff member noticed that an adolescent Egyptian cobra was missing Saturday afternoon. The snake is 20-inches long and can kill a person within 15 minutes. Zoo officials are confident that the snake is within the confines of the Reptile House, for this type of snake is not prone to seek out wide-open spaces such as the outdoors.

“We are confident that the snake is secure within the Reptile House.  To understand the situation, you have to understand snakes,” writes James Breheny.  “Upon leaving its enclosure, the snake went to a place where it is hidden and feels safe.  When the snake gets hungry or thirsty it will start to move around the building.  Once that happens, it will be our best opportunity to recover it.”

Breheny is the Senior Vice President of Wildlife Conservation Society and Director of the Bronx Zoo.

The snake escaped from an off-exhibit enclosure in the Reptile House. The Reptile House closed yesterday afternoon and will remain closed until further notice, stated Mary Dixon, a spokesperson for the Bronx Zoo.

Bronx high school superintendent Elena Papaliberios explained to Bronx Academy parents the proposal submitted by the DOE (Foto credit: Clara Martinez Turco)

By Clara Martinez Turco

Teachers and parents at the Bronx Academy High School in the South Bronx were surprised by a last-minute proposal by the city’s Department of Education to close the school.

“I really wasn’t expecting they would come in and say we might close,” said Linda Butkowski, 52, a teacher of American studies at Bronx Academy and a representative of the United Federation of Teachers representative.

In a document dated March 3, the DOE proposed the phase out of Bronx Academy because of its poor performance and because “the school lacks the capacity to turn around quickly to better support student needs.” The school received two F’s and a C in its last three report cards and had a six-year graduation rate of 49 percent.

A new school administration took over in September and teachers say they thought the DOE would take into consideration the changes made since then.

“The school had an amazing turn around under the leadership of the new principal… Is almost as if it was a new school,” said Butkowski. Changes to this “transfer school,” which was opened in 2003 as an alternative for students who have trouble graduating from a regular high school, include trimester terms and the appointment of a faculty advocate for every student.

Last December, the New York State Department of Education identified the Bronx Academy as a “persistent lower achieving” school and gave it a year to implement a major transformation to turn around. State representatives later visited the school and said they would release in late April a report with their recommendations, said counselor Linda Vinecour.

However, the city’s DOE cited the identification of the school as an under achiever as one reason to close it.  “At the end of the day, Bronx Academy is not doing the job, and we feel it will not turn around and serve better the kids,” said spokesman Jack Zarin-Rosenfeld, explaining that the DOE decisions are independent from the state. Both city and state departments of education were unavailable for further comments.

The proposal to close Bronx Academy comes after the city’s Panel for Education Policy voted to close 22 schools, ten of them in the Bronx.

During an informational meeting held at Bronx Academy on March 8, parents expressed their frustration with the proposal by city’s school officials. “It seems the decision has already been taken,” said one angry parent soon after the Bronx High School superintendent Elena Papaliberios explained the next steps in the school’s phase out pending approval by the Panel.

“I don’t agree with the closure because students need a school like this,” said Rosa Ramirez, 39, who enrolled her 16-year-old son, Jorge, in October after she said he had been bullied several times at his previous high school. Jorge said the school has helped him to stay on track. “A lot of us come here for a second chance to get our diploma,” he said.

Despite the shock caused by the proposal, students and faculty vowed to fight the phase out, Vinecour said.

On April 6, the Bronx Academy community will meet at the school to make the case against the closure. The meeting will be recorded and a copy of the recording shared among the members of the Panel for Education Policy, which will vote on April 28 on whether the phase out should proceed.